Carton sealing apparatus



May 8, 1956 R. D. HULL ET AL CARTON SEALING APPARATUS 2 Shee'r.s-Sheec 1Filed Sept. 8, 1952 INVENTORS. RICHARD D. HULL 51. scone/v c. NEL-SON 5yW A rOPN I May 8, 1956 R. D. HULL ET AL 2,744,373

CARTON SEALING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 8, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l; m xiINVENTORS. R/CHARD D. HUI. L SEDDON C NELSON 2,744,373 CARTON SEALINGAPPARATUS Richard D. Hull and Setldon C. Nelson, Fredericksburg,

Va.,'assignors to American Viscose Corporation, Philadelphia, Pa., acorporation of Delaware I Application September 8, 1952, Serial No.308,352

6 Claims. (Cl. 53 9374) The present invention relates to carton sealingapparatus and more particularly to novel and improved apparatus forautomatically sealing the flaps of cartons or the like which may vary insize within a given. range.

In most present day manufacturing, processing and packaging operationsit is customary andexpedient to render as many of the same as automaticas is convenient and practical. Thus, for example, in sealing the topand bottom flaps of a conventional carton it is ordinarily desirable toemploy suitable automatic or semiautomatic apparatus. Although manytypes of such apparatus have been employed in the past, considerabledifliculty has been experiencedin designing them to handle cartons ofvaried.

limits without any necessity for preliminary adjustments.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description.

In the drawing which is illustrative of the invention,

Figure 1 is a plan of a preferred embodiment of: the present inventionwith partsthereof omitted and broken away for the sake of greaterclarity;

Figure 2 isa sectional view taken along the reference line II,II inFigure 1;

Figure 3 is a detail of aportion of the apparatus shown in Figure l; I

Figure 4 is a sectional detail taken along reference line IV-,IV inFigure 2;

Figure 5 is a sectional detail of the 3-way valve shown in Figure 2; andj Figure 6 is a sectional detail of the 4 way valve shown in Figures 2and 4.

In general the improved container or carton sealing apparatus of thepresent invention comprises a rotatable member or turret with aplurality of carton receiving means secured to and spaced about itsperiphery, means positioned adjacent one point of the rotary path of theturret for depositing cartons or the like on the cartonreceiving-means,means positioned adjacent another point on the rotary path of the turretfor discharging the cartons from the cartonreceivingmeans, and means forapplying pressure upon the upper and lower surfaces of the cartons asthey progress with the turret between the said points on its rotary.path.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in detail inthe various figures of the drawing. As illustrated therein the tubularpost member orpipe 3 is preferably supported in a vertical manner by theradially disposed channel members 4 which are secured to the foot orbase of the post member in any suitable manner such as by the weldingshown at 5. The brace members 6 which extend angularly as shown betweenthe channel and post members are preferably provided to add rigidity tothe structure. The tubular shaft or the like 7 is positioned in the postwhere its rotation is, facilitated therein by the sleevebe'aring 8, 8and the thrust bearing 9. The plate 10 United States Pat O ICE .issecured to the periphery of the tubular shaft 7 adjacent the point whereit emerges from the post 3 and, provides a means of support" for theradially disposed arms 11, 11 which are preferably bolted thereto.

The radially disposed upper arms 12, 12, channels and braces 13, 13 aresecured near the top of shaft 7 and provide a supporting framework forthe. upper carton compression plate 14. v

The topof hollow shaft 7- is connected to any suitable fluid pressuresource 15 shown diagrammatically, through a swivel. joint 16 andconduits 17, 18. l

The upper flanged portions of the fluidcylinde'rs 19 are secured to theradially disposed arms '11 adjacent the outer extremities thereof in anysuitable manner such as by the bolts 26. The lower extremities of thecylinders'are provided with caps 22, through which fluidunder pressureis introduced to the cylinder bores. by means of the l,

shaped,p'assages 23, 23.

Each piston rod 24, which is connected to the piston 25 positionedwithin each of the cylinders 19, extends upwardly through its respectivearm 11 and is secured to the underside of each carton supportingplatform27.

The inner edge of each platform 27 is provided with an upstanding plateor backstop 28 to properly retain an object such as carton 29 thereon.The sweep guides or cams 30 are secured to the backstops 28, 28 andextend in the manner shown in Figure 1 of thedrawing, angularly from theinner edge of the backstop towardthe periphery of its rotary path aboutthe axis of the shaft 7. The angle 7 between the trailing edge of theplatform and the projec- "tion of the portion of the associated sweepguide is formed so that removal ofthe cartons 29 may be easily andreadily effected.

A conveyor 31 having a plurality of rollers 31a, 31a extending betweenconveyor frame members 31b and-31c, is positioned to deliver cartons 29onto platforms 27, 27.

In a similar manner the discharge conveyor 34 having a plurality ofrollers 35, 35 extending between the conveyor frame members 36 and 37.is positioned horizontally or, inclined downwardlyslightly so that thecartons 29 are automatically discharged from the platforms, 2 7. amanner which will be more fully described. hereinafter.

The horizontally disposed barriers 38 and.39 are preferably secured tothe upstanding support plate 40'and are adapted to cooperate with thesweep guides 30 todischarge the cartons 29 automatically onto theconveyor 34.

guide 42 which is secured thereto and. which is adapted to slide on itsassociated guide. rod 41. A flap holder device 43 also slides on each ofthey guide rods fill-and,

maintains the flaps of the carton in their closed position by means of aspring pressed snubber 43a. Theapertures .44 inthe upper compressionplate member 14 prevent the detents 43a from contacting the plate memberduring the carton compression and sealing operation.

As shown in Figures 2 and 5 of the drawing, a-conventional 3-way valve45 i s secured to;each of the arms 11 between the associated fluidcylinder l-liandthe plate 10. The valves 45, 45 are controlled by a cam46secured to the stationary post 3 and-which acts through the camfollower 47 of the valve to properly position the control element 45::in the valve 45. The cam follower 47 follows the contour of the cam 46to supply "the various cylinders 19 with the pressurized fluid from thetubular shaft 7 through the hoses .48 and 49 or vented through the vent45c. The control valve 59 in each of the hoses 48perrnits adjustment andcontrolof the speed of the carton compressing operations.

A spring-pressed ball detent 51 cooperates with a plurality of recesses53in the upper surface of cam 46 to intermittently align the deliveryand discharge conveyors 31 and 34 with each of the platforms 27 as theturret turns.

The turret brake 30 comprises an air cylinder 81 (Figures 1 and 2)having a piston rod 8?. connected to a piston 83, all of which aresupported on posts 84 and 85. More specifically the cylinder 81 ispivotally secured at one extremity to the post 84 as at 86 while theexposed extremity of the piston rod is connected by means of leatherfaced metal strap 87 to the other post 85. The leather face of theoutwardly biased strap 37 frictionally engages the circumferentiallyspaced bosses 88 on a ring 89 secured to cylinders 19, 19. The brakeassembly 80, together with detent 51, assures accurate alignment of thevarious radially disposed platforms 27 with the carton delivery anddischarge conveyors 31 and 34.

The mechanism for causing periodic rotation of the shaft 7 and the guidesupporting platforms which are secured to and spaced about the peripherythereof is best shown in Figures 2 and 4 of the drawing. As illustratedtherein a fluid cylinder 54 is pivotally mounted as at 55 in the yokeassembly 56 which is secured by the clamps 57, 57 to a pair of adjoiningcylinders 19a, 19!). A piston 58 in cylinder 54 actuates piston rodconnected to the lever arm 63. Fluid under pressure alternatelydelivered to the cylinder 54 through conduits 61 and 62 causes thepiston to reciprocate in the cylinder, and this motion is imparted tothe turret. The 4-Way spool valve 63, which is supported in any suitablemanner on the turret such as by being clamped to one of the cylinders19a, is preferably a conventional type used in hydraulic or pneumaticsystems for alternately directing a fluid to and exhausting it fromopposite ends of a cylinder. Thus, the valve 63 delivers the pressurizedfiuid received from shaft 7 and conduit 63a alternately to opposite endsof cylinder 54 through the conduits 6i and 62. Moreover, while each endof the cylinder 54 is being supplied with the pressurized fluid from theshaft 7, the other end of the cylinder is being vented through itsassociated conduit 61 or 62 and the vent 63b.

As is best illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawing the piston rod 59 ispivotally connected to the extremity of the lever arm 60 which isrotatably secured by the collar bearing member 65 to the stationary post3. The pawl 64 is pivoted preferably as at 64a to the lever arm 60between its connection with post 3 and the piston rod 59. Oppositeextremities 64b and 64-0 of the pawl 64 are biased by the springs or thelike 66 and 67 respectively toward the fixed collar member 65 and theextremity of the cylinder 54. The cable 68 extends from the pawlextremity 64b about the pulley 69 which is secured in the yoke 56 to the4-way valve control lever 70. A ratchet 71 which is secured to thestationary post 3 is provided with a suitable number of notches 72 withwhich the engaging end of the pawl 64b cooperates The control ring 73which is slidably positioned in the stationary guide lugs 74 and whichencircles the stationary post 3 is connected by an extension arm 75 tothe 4-way valve control lever 70.

In operation each of the cartons or the like 29 which is delivered tothe carton sealing apparatus of the present invention is moved alongconveyor 31 manually, gravitationally, automatically or otherwise towardone of the platforms 27 which has been properly aligned with anextremity thereof. After the carton has been properly disposed on thealigned platform and the flap holding device 43 has been moveddownwardly to engage the upper flaps of the carton to preliminarily holdthe same in their closed position, the operator moves the control ring73 in a clockwise direction shown by the arrow in Figure 4 of thedrawing and thereby causes the valve control lever 70 to assume thesolid line position shown This permits the pressurized fluid from thetubular shaft 7 to enter the cylinder 54 through the hose connection orconduit 62 and react upon the piston 58 moving it outwardly toward andbeyond the position shown in Figure 4 of the drawing. As the outermostpo ition of the piston is attained, the bias exerted by the spring 67increases and finally exceeds the opposed biasing tendency of spring 66thereby causing the pawl 64 to be withdrawn from the notch 72 in theratchet 71. Rotation of the pawl 64 about its pivot causes the tautcable 68 to return the valve control lever 70 to its dotted lineposition such that the supply of pressurized fluid from shaft 7 is thendelivered to the opposite end of the cylinder 54 through the conduit orhose 61 while simultaneously the first-mentioned end thereof is ventedto the atmosphere, As the piston rod then moves inwardly, the bias ofspring 67 once again becomes smaller than that of spring 66 so that thepawl as it rotates in a counterclockwise direction about its pivot 64ais adapted to engage the next notch 72. Thus, when the operator manuallymoves the control ring 73 in a clockwise direction to cause thepressurized fluid to move the piston rod 59 outwardly once again, thecylinder 54, its mounting structure and the rest of the apparatussecured to the rotatable shaft 7 is caused to revolve a predetermineddistance about the stationary post 3 and its attached ratchet 71. Toexplain the operation of Figure 4 more fully, the position of the parts,as shown, is at the end of the turning increment of the turret. However,since the valve lever 70 is still open to admit air to cylinder 54through conduit 62, piston 58 overtravels or continues to move to theleft. This action does not turn the turret but lifts the pawl from thenotch in the disc 71. Simultaneously with the lifting of the pawl fromengagement with the disc, the spring 67 pivots the pawl on lever 60 toassist in disengaging the nose 64b of the pawl from the disc notch. Whenthe pawl 64- has pivoted sufficiently far to effect completedisengagement with the notch in the disc, the valve is shifted throughcable 68 which throws lever 70 to the dotted line position. Thisreverses the travel of piston 58 in the cylinder by venting conduit 62and admitting fluid under pressure to conduit 61. As the piston rod 59retracts, the pawl eventually becomes engaged in the next successivenotch in the disc, whereupon the cycle is repeated when the operatormoves ring 73.

As the shaft 7 and its associated attached equipment rotate about thepost 3, the cam 46 controls the 3-way valves 45 through their associatedcam followers 47 such that the pressurized fluid from the source 15 isdelivered to each of the cylinders 19 to properly elevate each of theplatforms 27 between the delivery and discharge conveyors 31 and 34. Inthis way the upper and lower surfaces of each car-ton are uniformlycompressed regardless of its size between the associated platform 27 andthe plate 12 so that its flaps are properly held in a closed positionfor a suitable period of time during the sealing operation as theyprogress toward the discharge conveyor 34. The cartons are pressedagainst the upper plate 12 until sufficiently sealed. This sealingoccurs during approximately /4 of a turn of the turret. As the raisedplatforms approach the discharge conveyor 34, cam 46 releases valve rod47 to vent the cylinders 19, thus lowering the platforms to a positionon a level with the discharge conveyor.

As the platform 27 and the carton or the like 29 carried thereonapproach and become aligned with the discharge conveyor 34 by means ofthe braking device and the detent 51, the barriers 33 and 39 engage thelateral surface 29a of the carton and restrain its further movementabout the axis of the shaft. As the platform, however, continues torotate and move past the discharge conveyor, the properly extendedportion 30a of the associated sweep guide 30 engages the opposite andinner lateral surface 2% of the carton and urges the same outwardly ontothe rollers 35 of the discharge conveyor. Thereafter the carton isconveyed manually, gravitationally, automatically or otherwise to anyother suitable location. As best shown in Figure 3 of the drawing duringthe continued rotation of the turret the sweep guide 30 passes betweenthe suitably spaced barriers 38 and 39 and the empty platform 27 is thenready to receive another carton or the like 29 from the conveyor 30 landconduct the same through a similar processing cyc e.

It is to be understood that although the conveyor device of the presentinvention as shown and described herein is adapted to accommodate sixcartons, any greater or lesser number of the same should be accommodatedwithout departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed, thedescription is intended to be illustrative only and it is to beunderstood that changes and variations may be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appendedclaims.

We claim:

1. Carton sealing apparatus comprising a fixed support; a memberrotatably mounted on the fixed support; a source of a pressurized fluidconnected to the member; a plurality of fluid cylinders radiallypositioned about and extending downwardly from the member; a pistonpositioned in each of the fluid cylinders; a piston rod which is securedto each piston and which extends upwardly through the member; a cartonsupporting platform secured to an upper portion of each piston rod;means positioned adjacent one point on the rotary path of the member forconveying cartons to the plaforms; means positioned adjacent anotherpoint on the rotary path of the member for discharging the cartons fromthe platforms; a plate secured to the member above and substantiallyparallel to each of the platforms; a valve associated with each of thefluid cylinders; means including the valve for conducting the fluid fromthe source to each fluid cylinder adjacent a lower portion thereof; andmeans dependent upon the angular position of the member on its fixedsupport for controlling the delivery of fluid to each of the fluidcylinders.

2. Carton sealing apparatus comprising a fixed support; a turretjournaled on the fixed support; a plurality of carton receivingplatforms spaced about the turret; a compression plate which is securedto the turret in a substantially parallel and spaced relation withrespect to each of the platforms; means for imparting relative movementbetween the compression plate and each of the platforms comprising aratchet secured to the fixed support; a pawl positioned to cooperatewith the ratchet; a normally contracted expandable means connecting thepawl and the turret; means for normally causing the pawl to engage theratchet; manually controlled means for expanding the said connectingmeans to cause a predetermined amount of rotation of the turret aboutthe fixed support; and means for automatically withdrawing the pawl fromits engagement with the ratchet and for restoring the connecting meansto its normally contracted condition following each increment of turretrotation.

3. Carton sealing apparatus comprising a fixed support; a turretjournaled on the fixed support; a plurality of carton receivingplatforms spaced about the turret; a compression plate which is securedto the turret in a substantially parallel and spaced relation withrespect to each of the platforms; fluid actuated means for impartingrelative movement between the compression plate and each of theplatforms comprising a source of a pressurized fluid; a fluid cylinderwhich is secured to the rotatable apparatus; a piston positioned in thecylinder; means including a valve with a control lever for conductingthe fluid from the source to the cylinder; a piston rod secured to thepiston; a lever, pivotally secured at one end 6 to the fixed support andat the other end to the piston rod; ratchet means secured to the fixedsupport; a pawl mounted on the lever for cooperating with the ratchetmeans; first biasing means urging the pawl into engagement with theratchet means; second biasing means urging the pawl out of engagementwith the ratchet means, the second mentioned biasing means beingnormally weaker than the first mentioned biasing means but overcomingthe first as the piston nears its outermost position in the cylinder;and means connecting the control lever of the valve with the pawl tothrow a valve control when the piston reaches its maximum extendedposition to reverse the direction of piston travel.

4. A carton handling turret assembly rotatably mounted on a fixedsupport; means for producing predetermined angular displacements of thesaid apparatus comprising a ratchet member secured to the fixed support;a pawl positioned to cooperate with the ratchet member; a normallycontracted expandable means connecting the pawl and the turret means fornormally causing the pawl to engage the ratchet member; manuallycontrolled means for expanding the said connecting means to causepredetermined increment of rotation of the turret about the fixedsupport; and means for automatically withdrawing the pawl fromengagement with the ratchet and for restoring the connecting means toits normally contracted condition following each increment of rotationof the turret.

5. A carton handling turret assembly rotatably mounted on a fixedsupport; means for producing predetermined angular displacements of theturretcomprising a source of a pressurized fluid; a fluid cylindersecured to the turret; a piston positioned in the cylinder; meansincluding a valve with a control lever for conducting the fluid from thesource to the cylinder; a piston rod secured to the piston, a lever,pivotally secured to one end to the fixed support and at the other endto the piston rod;

ratchet means secured to the fixed support; a pawl mounted on the leverto cooperate with the ratchet means; first biasing means urging the pawlinto engagement with the ratchet means; second biasing means urging thepawl out of engagement with the ratchet means, the second mentionedbiasing means being normally weaker than the first mentioned biasingmeans but overcoming the first as the piston reaches its outermostposition in the cylinder; and means connecting the control lover of thevalve with the pawl to throw a valve control when the piston reaches itsmaximum extended position to reverse the direction of piston travel.

' 6. In carton sealing apparatus wherein a turret having a plurality ofradially positioned elements is mounted on a fixed support; means forcompressing opposite surfaces of a plurality of cartons that aresupported on the turret comprising a source of pressurized fluidconnected to the turret; a fluid cylinder secured to and extendingdownwardly from an outer portion of each of the radially positionedelements of the turret; a piston positioned in each of the fluidcylinders; a piston rod secured to each piston and extending upwardlythrough an aperture in the associated radial element; a cartonsupporting platform secured to the upper extremity of each piston rod; avalve positioned on each of the radial elements; conduit means betweenthe source of pressurized fluid, each valve, and each cylinder; a platesecured tothe turret above and substantially parallel to the radialelements; and means dependent upon the angular position of the turret onits fixed support for controlling the delivery of fluid to each of thefluid cylinders.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,485,040 Cupo Oct. 18, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 789,832 France Aug. 26,1935

